Love Me Tender
by LovedLik3WildFire
Summary: Her nightmares have become a nightly occurrence, and she's terrified to close her eyes. Yet Wanda knows she deserves no less for all the pain she's caused. But can her pain lead to something far lovelier?


"Dear God, no."

Wanda whispered that phrase a million times over as she found herself standing in the middle of an unfamiliar forest. Trees taller than any building loomed over her, and a flock of ravens flew overhead, their wings fluttering with the wind. A shiver went down her spine as her eyes took in the scene before her.

Darkness was falling, though she could see no sun. Just light slowly fading away. This only made the trees look taller, and the shadows more menacing. Wanda felt herself walking to what looked like a break in the forest, but didn't remember ever moving her feet. Yet, as she moved, her steps became more labored and difficult, as if her feet were stuck in thick mud. Looking down, Wanda notices her feet were bare and covered in dirt.

How she wished she hadn't looked back up.

Darkness had fallen completely now, and she could hardly see a foot in front of her. Panic began to set in, as she felt the hair on her arms stand up. Something was coming, but she wasn't sure what. Suddenly, a flash of lightning flew across the sky, hitting one of the trees. Fire blazed before her, yet not one bit of the tree burned.

"Wanda."

A voice whispered behind her, causing her to spin around quickly. No one was there.

"Wanda."

Another voice, closer this time and in the opposite direction.

"Wanda!"

This voice louder still, and angry.

"Please no," She screamed, falling to her knees. "I can't do this again; I can't."

For weeks, these dreams had plagued her nights. Where sleep was supposed to be her escape, it was more like a prison. It had been almost eight months since Pietro was killed, and Wanda still could feel him with her. Sometimes, she would even hear his voice, causing her heart – for a single moment – to think everything was whole again. But nothing would be whole again, and these nightmares were evidence of that.

A snap of a tree branch caused Wanda to look up once more, and to her horror, the entire forest was a pile of ash. The trees were chard, and any greenery was covered in a layer of soot. Yet she remained completely unscathed – not a scratch or burn on her, just dirt on her hands from pounding the earth.

Her hands. That all too familiar red mist surrounded them, dancing back and forth between her fingers. Wanda stared down at them, as if confused by what she was seeing. And as if on cue, realization began to sink in. Had she done this? Was she the reason for all this destruction?

"Wanda."

The voice was gruff now, and sounded as if it were right before her. Looking up, she let out a shriek. Pietro stood before her, covered in blood. Scratches lined in face, and Wanda noticed the blood pooled around various points along his body. Thinking back to that fateful day, she remembered it was bullets that had caused his death. Is this what he looked like, moments before his last breath?

Just as she was about to speak, more people started to appear before her. Tears burned her eyes as she realized it was everyone she was learning to care about. Steve, Natasha, even Tony stood before her, covered in dirt and blood. Their eyes were hollow and dark, and their expressions were completely neutral.

"You did this." Tony spoke suddenly, his voice completely monotone.

Steve, Natasha, and the rest of the group began repeating this mantra repeatedly. You did this. You did this. You did this. Wanda grabbed her head in agony, as if their words were squeezing her skull. The tears she had tried desperately to hold back flowed freely now, and she let out another scream of pain and fear. This one scream broke the floodgates of her soul, and there was nothing left within her to fight.

The last thing Wanda remembered was the look of betrayal in her dead brother's eyes as the world turned to pitch.

* * *

The sun had set several hours ago, and Vision found himself alone once more. This was the nightly routine for him. His friends would remain awake for another hour or so, chatting about their respective days, only to retreat to the silence of their own rooms. He didn't mind the solace though, and found himself occupied with things he couldn't get to during the day.

His favorite thing to do was clean. Odd, that someone as advanced as he would enjoy such a menial task. Vision recalled the first time he found Bruce tidying up the kitchen.

" _What are you doing?"_

 _Bruce looked up, confused. "What do you mean? I'm cleaning the kitchen."_

 _Vision paused a moment. "But it is not dirty."_

 _"_ _Well, no, not in the traditional sense, but every now and then it doesn't hurt to give it a once over."_

This had puzzled Vision enormously. Why clean something that was not dirty? It wasn't until he himself partook in the act of 'giving it a once over', as Bruce had called it, that he realized the importance of giving the house a good clean.

Tonight, Vision had decided on the library. Tony, as technically inclined as he was, had two rather large libraries in his home. One at the front of the house, and one at the back. The one in the front held all his books dedicated to the sciences, while the other was dedicated to every other genre. It was this library that Vision preferred. Though science was what created him, he found something fascinating about the fictional. He was amazed that humans could come up with such intricate worlds in their minds, and put them to paper for everyone else to experience.

Vision stood before the door of the library, but something was pulling his attention elsewhere. He sensed her long before he heard any sound. Wanda was having another nightmare. Since the death of her brother, these nightmares were almost a nightly occurrence.

Tony had given him the task of looking after Wanda, to make sure she (and those around her) were safe. At first, he took his duties as he would any other task, with a logical and methodical mind. The goal was to keep her safe, and he would do so.

However, when Wanda found out what Tony had asked of Vision, the anger and betrayal in her eyes was evident. It did not make sense to him. Why would she not want someone to make sure she was safe? He had asked her this, to which she aptly replied, "I'm a grown woman who does not need a babysitter."

The term babysitter puzzled him at the time, but the longer she remained in the house, the more Vision came to understand. People were afraid of her for the ability she possessed. Everyone who encountered Wanda seemed to have a sense of uncertainty about them. Yes, she was unstable at times, but that did not make her someone to be feared. In fact, Vision wanted to know her more. To understand her thoughts and feelings, and to show everyone the woman he saw. Someone strong, someone brave. Yet someone who was learning to deal with loss in her own way.

No, Wanda was not someone to fear, but someone to admire.

As Vision's thoughts drifted back to the present, he found himself in front of the door to her bedroom. He hesitated a moment, thinking of all the times Wanda had told him to knock before entering. Certainly, if she were in pain or danger, that rule would not apply? Pausing only a moment longer, Vision phased through the wall and the sight before him was amazing.

All the furniture in Wanda's room was either shattered on the floor in pieces, or floating aimlessly in the air. The only piece of furniture unscathed was the bed she slept on. Small streaks of red light moved about the room erratically. On more than one occasion, Vision needed to move out of the way before one hit him.

After assessing the damage done to the room, and noting there was nothing here that couldn't not be replaced, his eyes fell on the woman lying on the bed. If he had a heart, one could say it was filled with sadness. For Wanda lay curled up in a fetal position with a pained expression on her face. The same red light that moved about the room was concentrated around her hands.

He starred at her, mesmerized. It was not her pain or anguish that fascinated him, but how vulnerable she looked lying there. Wanda always seemed to have this wall around her, as if she were trying to keep everyone from seeing any real piece of herself. But here, as she lay helpless in her bed, all pretense was lost. There was just a frightened young woman, wanting so much to be free from whatever was hurting her.

Quietly, as not to wake her right away, Vision moved to her side and kneeled next to the bed. He could see tears on her cheeks that he hadn't noticed before. Gently, he laid a hand on her arm and, with as much care as possible, looked into her mind. What he saw disturbed him.

Wanda blamed herself for all the hurt each member of the Avenger's had suffered. He could sense it as clearly as the wind howling outside. Giving no time to ponder it, he left her mind and gave her arm a timid shake.

"Wanda, wake up."

Nothing.

"Wanda, you're dreaming. It's not real."

Still no movement from her.

Vision sighed, and knew what he had to do. Peering back into her mind, he carefully willed her awake with his own mind. Yet, despite being gentle, Wanda woke with a scream. Her eyes were wild with fear, and he watched as the red around her hands grew more turbulent. To keep her from doing damage to herself, he quickly placed his hands over hers.

"Shh…" He said softly, "You're alright."

Wanda's eyes darted to his face, and slowly, the panic was replaced with a mix of sorrow and stillness. Her face contorted as she tried to hold back her sob, but it was too late. She cried out, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Vision could not understand what he was feeling, as he listened to her weep. He felt many things. Pain at seeing her so helpless and distraught. Sadness at seeing her in such turmoil. And something else – something that caught him off guard. A strong desire to hold her.

"I'm so sorry," Wanda suddenly said, sitting up in bed and pulling her knees to her chest. Looking around the room, her face dropped once more. "Did I do all this?"

Vision didn't take his eyes off her, but nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm afraid so."

She looked away from him, and he was certain he saw shame in her eyes. Without thinking, he looked into her mind and placed a thought there. Her eyes flickered over to him again, and she smiled. "You know I don't like when you do that, but thank you, nonetheless. You're wrong though. I am dangerous."

"No more than I." He said before rising from beside the bed. Hesitating slightly, he sat down next to her, leaning up against the headboard. "Do you remember the first time you saw me?"

Wanda nodded, but didn't speak.

"You told me you saw annihilation, and I said—"

"Look again," She said finishing his sentence.

Vision nodded, letting silence wrap around them for a few moments before continuing. "I will same the same to you now. You see yourself as dangerous, but look again. It's not what I see."

"What do you see?" She asked, a hint of a challenge in her voice.

"I see sadness," He said turning toward her.

"Oh, much better." Wanda mumbled.

Vision ignored the comment and continued. "I see a woman who has seen Hell, and walked away stronger. I see a resolve that, from my limited time on this earth, is not common among humans. I see beauty."

He had not realized he said that last part until Wanda looked at him, startled. A million different emotions played across her features. Skepticism was the first, but was slowly replaced by something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Maybe it was embarrassment, or maybe it was…hope?

Wanda, after what seemed like a lifetime, finally spoke. "Your view is distorted."

"On the contrary," He said, pointing to the stone on his forehead. "My view is clearer than most."

The silence surrounded them once again, but neither of them made a move to fill it. Something inside Vision begged him to listen to Wanda's mind, but he knew it wouldn't be right. She had expressly told him to stay out of her head, and while he did just break his promise a few moments ago, he didn't want to make it a pattern. Movement next to him brought him out of his internal battle. Wanda had shifted her position once more and was now kneeling on the bed in front of him.

Curious, he thought. Her expression was nervous, but not the kind from fear. Vision watched her closely as she brought her hand up, revealing the red mist he had come to expect from her. She slowly swirled it between her fingers before looking at him again. Her eyes were piercing, and much to his surprise, she heard him inside his head.

 _If this hurts you, please tell me._

Before he could ask her what she meant, Vision felt a curious sensation. Wanda had her hand in front of his face, the red mist fixated on the stone. He gasped as he felt her in his mind. It was different than when she looked at his thoughts, or sensed his feelings. It was more personal, and Vision could feel her in every corner of his mind.

Without thinking, he reached up and grasped her arm.

"Am I hurting you?" Wanda asked, concern in her voice.

"Not at all," He said softly. "It's just…"

"What?" Her voice was colored with an odd sense of anticipation.

Vision hesitated a moment. "You can see it, can't you?"

Wanda didn't say anything. Instead, she moved her hand down, severing their link, and placed it gently on the side of his face. All trace of fear or anxiety Vision had seen in her eyes was gone, and replaced with something far lovelier. He didn't understand it; how someone like Wanda could look at him like that. With such compassion…such love.

Suddenly, ever piece of the puzzle fell into place. Every moment between them flew through his mind with such clarity, it was startling. He was created to be a safe guard for the world – to protect and keep it as it should be. But here, before him, was someone he wanted to protect far more than the world. It wasn't logical, and as his mind tried to reason the feelings he had for this woman, Vision decided…to hell with reason.

Gently moving her hand from his face, he placed his own hands on either side of her face. He watched as Wanda's eyes widened slightly, and with deliberate hesitation, he leaned forward. Much to his surprise, Vision felt her lean toward him just as he pressed his lips to hers.

The kiss was soft, delicate. Wanda let out a small sigh of contentment, and Vision found it incredibly endearing. Their lips moved together as a flower blooms, gentle and slow. It lasted only a moment, but he would have thought they were there for years. Vision felt Wanda pull back, but only just enough to rest her forehead against his. He could practically hear the small smile that formed on her lips.

"Yes, I can see it" She said softly, before pulling back completely to look at him.

Vision smiled as he watched Wanda move next to him again. Slipping her arm through his, she laid her head against his shoulder. They remained as such until Vision heard Wanda's breathing drift into a steady rhythm. She was asleep. Looking down at her, he found himself placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. Wanda let out a small sigh, snuggling closer to his side.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore," Vision whispered, smiling softly at her. "I will keep you safe."


End file.
